Filling machine



w; A. BJORKLUND ET AL FILLING MACHINE Fild June 1, 1920 2 sheets-sheetllllllllllnlllllll.llllnltlll 1x I. I

- OQQOQQQ WZ Patented eb. 27, 1923.

UNETED rattan cri icise "WILLIAM A. BJOR-KLUND AND AUGUST I-IOLMQUIST,OF HOOPESTON, ILLINOIS,

ASSIGNORS TO SPRAGUE OANNING MACHINERY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLI- NOIS,A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

FILLING MACHINE.

Application filed June 1, 1920.

To rrJZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, lViLnmii A. BJURK- LUNI) and AUoUsr .llOLMQUlST,citizens of the United States, residing at lloopestou, in the county ofVermilion and State of Illinois, respectively, have inventeu certain newand useful Improvements in Filling Machines, of which the following is afull, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to filling machines and more specifically tohand-pack filling machines, one type of hand-pack filling machine beingshown in the patent to Lowe, No. 1,200,277, dated October 3, 1916.

One of the objects of our invention is to provide a handpack filler.which will be compact. in construction so as not to take up much room ina canning plant and which will be of large capacity for its size andwhich will be durable and eflicient in use, and cheap to manufacture.

Further objects will appear from the detailed description to follow andfrom the appended claims.

In the drawings in which one embodiment of our invention is shown Fig. 1is a side elevation of a filling machine having a portion of the brinercut away to show the interior thereof;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 4:;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 4el ofFig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on line of Fig. 1;

Fig. (5 is a detail view of one of the can sweeps and a mouthpiece orfunnel member supported on the same spindle; and

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of l ig. (3.

In order to give a general idea of the construction as shown in thedrawings, it

is here stated that it comprises an elongated stationary central holderor trough, in which the fruit to be filled into cans, such as tomatoesand the like, is placed, an endless chain traveling adjacent theperiphery of said trough or holder, in a horizontal plane, a series ofmouthpieces or funnel members secured to said chain, and a series of cansweeps also secured to said chain for carrying the cans to be filledalong with Serial No. 385,458.

and underneath said mouthpieces or funnels.

Suitable means are provided for feeding the cans to the sweeps of theendless conveyor, and for causing them to be discharged from saidsweeps, and if desired, a brining attachment may be provided forsupplying measured quantities of liquid or brine to the cans as they arecarried along.

To give a more detailed description of our construction, theconstruction shown comprises an elongated, stationary central trough orholder 10, which trough has a peripheral edge 11. Said trough issuitably supported upon a base or arm comprising side members 12supported upon the leg members 13, said legs being connected by crossmembers or brackets 14 and 15. Positioned upon the side members 12 arecan tracks 16 to receive the empty cans from the feed disc 17 fromwhence they are carried along said track and filled, the filled cansbeing then deposited on a discharge disc 18. Can sweeps 19 secured to anendless traveling chain, as hereinafter described, are positioned totravel above said tracks so as tocarry the cans from the feed disc 17along the tracks on to the discharge disc 18. These can sweeps 19 haveintegrally formed therewith an eye portion 20, and a lug 21, said eyeportion having a spindle 22 secured therein, upon which spindle issupported a funnel-shaped member or mouthpiece 23, which mouthpieceregisters above the can when carried along the track by said can sweepand which facilitates the filling of the cans by the operator. Each ofthe mouthpieces or funnel members 23 has an opening 24- therein fromwhich opening extends a flange portion 25 which facilitates thepositioning of the funnel member on the can.

The can sweep 19, spindle member 22, and the funnel member. 23 arecarried as a unit by the lug 21 on the can sweep 19, being secured to anendless traveling chain 26 which extends around sprocket wheels 27 and27, said sprocket wheel 27 being the driving sprocket on the briner endof the machine. This sprocket wheel 27 is secured at 28, as shown inFig. 5, to a sleeve 29 which is rotatably mounted upon the stationaryshaft or post 30, which shaft is secured at 31 to the bracket 14. Saidsleeve 29, as shown at 32, has also secured thereto a bevel gear 33,which is driven by a bevel gear 34 from the shaft 35, which is, in turn,driven from any suitable source of power.

Deflector arms 36 and 37 are secured at 38 and 39 respectively to thetable member 12. The purpose of the deflector arm 36 is to defiect thecans on to the tracl; 1(3. The deflector arm 37, in turn, deflecting thefilled cans from the track 16 on to the discharge disc 18.

The briner 40 may be positioned on sait machine at the driving endthereof, which briner comprises acentral sleeve 41 secured at 42 to thesleeve 29, a central reservoir 43 secured to the sleeve 41, and aplurality of measuring chambers 44 located in said reservoir 43. Each ofsaid measuring chambers has apassage 45 leading "from said reservoirinto said measuring chamber. Positioned directly below said measuringchambers are discharge openings 46 for the passage of the brine fromthemeasuring chambers into the cans. Leading from the central reservoir43 =1nto the passages 45 are ports 47,

the edges of these openings forming seats "for valves 48, which valvesare normally in closed position. Similarly, valve seats ports 49 "arepositioned directly below the measuring chambers 44 which seats 49 havecooperating therewith the valves 50, which also normally close saidports 49. These valves are retained in their normal closed position bymeans of tension springs 51.

For controlling the action of the valves 48 and 50, the stationary shaft30 which extends upwardly through the sleeve 29, out through the upperend of the briner 40, has secured thereto, a hub portion 52, which issecured at 53, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, and supports thesemi-circular cams and respectively, which are formed integraltherewith. As clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, thie cam 54 isconsiderably smaller in diameter than the cam 55, the cam 54 beinglocated to control the inner circle of valves 48 and the cam 55 beinglocated to control the outer circle of valves 50. Inwardly radiallyprojecting fingers 56 are secured to the stems of thevalves 48 and arepositioned so as to ride on the cam 54 to raise the valves at propertime for filling the chambers 44.

Similarly, the valve stems of the outer circle of valves '50 areprovided with inwardly projecting fingers or followers 57, which arepositioned so as to engage the cam 55, as these valves revolve togetherwith the compartment 43.

Fo'radjusting the capacity of the measuring chambers 44. they areprovided with vertically-adjustable pistons or partitions 58, which.frictionally engage the walls of the chambers, to determine the heightto- "which the brine or liquid can rise in these chambers. In order thatthese pistons may be readily adjusted vertically, and also in order toprovide means for the escape of the air from the chambers when the brineis entering,'sleeves 59 are provided which are secured to the pistonsand surround the valve stems. The bore of these sleeves is slightlylarger than the diameter of the valve stems so that the air can pass upthrough these sleeves around the valve stems. These sleeves extendsomewhat above the upper edge of the reservoir 48, so that they areaccessible to the operator for vertical adjustment to adjust thecapacity of the measuring chambers.

The use and operation of the device is as follows: The fruit to befilled in the cans, which may be tomatoesor the like, is dumped into theelongated trough or holder 10. The operators stand alongside this troughor holder in position to draw the fruit over the edge of the holder andcause it to pass through the mouthpieces 23 into the cans underneath. Ifthe briner is not to be used, operators may stand on both sides of themachine. It the fruit is of such nature that it requires the meet thebriner the operators will stand on only one side of the table, that is,the side along which the cans pass before they come under the briner.

The machine is put in operation to cause the mouthpieces 23 and the cansweeps 19 to travel around the stationary trough or holder 10, and tocause the briner 40 to revolve, the endlesstraveling chain 26 to which.the can sweeps and mouthpieces are secured, being driven from the shaft35 through the bevel gears 83 and 34, the sleeve 29 and the sprocketwheel 27.

' The rotation of the sleeve 29 also causes the briner 40 to revolve andwith it the measuring chambers 44 and the controlling valves 48 and 50.As the can sweeps l9 and mouthpieces 23 travel along empty cans are fedin front of the can sweeps from the feed discs 17 and are positionedunder the'mouthpieces 23, the openings of the cans registering with theannular flanges 25,01? these mouthpieces.

The machine may be made long enough, so that a considerable number ofoperators can use the same machine. If there should be, for instance,four operators employed in filling the cans, each operator would fillevery fourth can, that is, the operator who was standing-nearest thefeed disc 17 would fill one can and then let three'go'by, and fill thefifth one, thesecond operator would fill the can immediately followingthe can which had been already filled, and the third operator would fillthe can immediately following the two filled cans, etc. It may also beof interest to state that there may he a further division of labor, thatis, that it may be the duty of some of the operators to fill the cansapproximately full, and the duty of others to top them off, that is, toadd to the cans which have been approximately filled, to make them justright. That is, it may be the duty of one set of operators to fill thecans roughly, and the duty of another set of operators to finish themoff nicely.

1f the briner is to be used, the compartment is rept supplied with brineor whatever liquid is to be used, and the cans as they travel aroundunderneath the discharge openings Q6 of the briner are supplied with ameasured quantity of brine from the measuring chambers 4. The cams 54and are located so that the measuring chambers e4: will be dischargingduring that part of their travel in which cans are located underneaththe discharge opening, and so that the measuring chambers it will befilling during that part of travel of the measuring chambers in which nocans are underneath the discharge openings 46. As shown in Fig. 2, thecam 55 will cause the valves 50 to be opened during the time in whichthe cans are traveling around the end of the machine, the valves 48, atthe same time being closed, because they are not at that time under thecontrol of the cam 54-. It will also be seen that the cam 54 will causethe valves 48 to be opened during the time in which the fingers orfollowers 56 are in engagement with this cam and that the valves 50 willat the same time be closed, being not then under the control of the cam55, and being closed by the tension spring 51. This alternate openingand closing of the valves 48 and 50 will cause the brine to enter themeasuring chambers it during a part of the revolution of the reservoir43 and will cause the measured quantities of brine or liquid in thechambers 44 to be discharged into the cans, as the cans travel aroundunderneath the dis-charge openings 46.

As the brine rushes into the measuring chambers 44 through the passages45, the air which is in the measuring chambers is permitted to escape upthrough the sleeve 59.

After the cans have been suitably filled, they are deflected onto thedischarge disc 18 by means of the deflector 37.

The elongated formation of the filling machine permits a comparativelylarge number of operators to use the same machine, and this elongatedformation also makes it so that a relatively small floor space isrequired for the installation and operation of the machine.

While only one embodiment of the invention is shown herein, it is to beunderstood that many modifications and variations thereof may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is: i

1. A filling machine comprising an elongated fruit holder, the spaceabove said holder being unobstructed so that the fruit is accessible toan operator adjacent the machine, means for moving a series of cansalongsaid fruit holder, and for moving a series of mouth. pieces alongwith the cans, whereby the operator can readily transfer the fruit fromthe holder into the cans.

2. A filling machine comprising a. stationary elongated fruit holder,the space above said holder being unobstructed so that the fruit isaccessible to an operator adj acentthe machine, means for moving aseries of cans along said fruit holder and for moving a series of mouthpieces along with the cans, whereby the operator can readily transferthe fruit from the holder into the cans.

3. A filling machine comprising a stationary elongated fruit holder,said holder having a peripheral edge, the space above said edge beingunobstructed so that the fruit 'is accessible to an operator adjacentthe machine, so that the operator can remove the fruit from the holderadjacent the peripheral edge thereof, and means for moving a series ofcans along said peripheral edge, whereby the operator can readilytransfer the fruit from the holder to the cans.

4C. A filling machine comprising a stationary fruit holder having a.peripheral edge, the space above said edge being unobstructed so thatthe fruit is accessible to an operator adjacent the machine and so thatthe operator can remove fruit from the holder adjacent the peripheraledge thereof, means for moving a series of cans along and adjacent saidperipheral edge, and for moving a series of mouth pieces along saidperipheral edge along with the cans, whereby the operator can readilytransfer the fruit from the holder into the cans.

A filling machine comprising a stationary elongated fruit holder, saidholder having a peripheral edge, the space above said edge beingunobstructed so that the fruit is accessible to an operator adjacent themachine, so that the operator can remove the fruit from the holderadjacent the peripheral edge thereof, and means for moving a series ofcans along said peripheral edge, whereby the operator can readilytransfer the fruit from. the holder to the cans, said can moving meanscomprising an endless conveyor.

6. A filling machine comprising a fruit holder having a peripheral edge,the space above said edge being unobstructed so that the fruit isaccessible to an operator adjacent the machine, and so that the operatorcan remove fruit from the holder adjacent the periphe 'al edge thereof,means for moving a series of cans, along and adjacent, said peripheraledge, and for moving a series of mouth pieces along said peripheral edgealong with the cans, whereby the operator can readily transfer the fruitfrom the holder into cans.

7. A filling machine comprising an elongated fruit holder, said fruitholder having a peripheral edge, the space above said edge beingunobstructed so that the fruit is accessible to an operator adjacent themachine, and so that the operator can remove fruit from the holderadjacent the peripheral edge thereof, and means for moving a series oicans along and adjacent said peripheral edge whereby the operator canreadily trans fer the fruit-from the holder to. the cans, said meanscomprising an endless member, provided with means forengaging the cansto move them along, and a series of monthpieces secured to said endlessmember to travel along-with and above the cans.

8. A filling machine comprising an relongated fruit holder, a pair ofsprocket wheels, one at each end of said. holder, an endless chaintraveling around said sprocket wheels, said chain being provided withmeans for engaging and moving a series of cans along and adjacent theperipheral edge of the holder, the space above said edgebeingunobstructed so that the fruit is accessible to an operatoradjacent the machine whereby the operator can readily transfer the fruitfrom the holderinto the cans.

9. A filling machine comprising an elongated t'ruit holder, a pair ofsprocket wheels, one at each end of said holder, an endless chaintravelingaround said sprocket wheels, said chain being provided withmeans for engaging and moving a series of cans along and adjacent theperipheral edge .oi the holder, the space above saidedge beingunobstructed so that the fruit is accessible to an operator adjacent themachine, mouthpieces secured to said endless chain whereby the operatorcan readily transfer the fruit -from the holder through themouthj'iieces and into the cans.

10. A filling machine comprising a fruit holder, the space above saidholder being unobstructed so that the fruit will be accessible to anoperator adjacent the machine, a pair of rotatable members, one at eachend of the machine, an endless member running over said rotatablemembers, said endless inen'iber being provided with ineans for.

moving a series of cans around said fruit holder, and means "forsupplying brine to gated fruit holder having a peripheral edge, thespace above said edge'bcing u'nol'istruct'ed 7 so that the fruit will.be accessible to anoperator adjacent the machine, so that the operatorcan remove the fruit from the holder adjacent the peripheral edgethereof, a pair of rotatable members, oneiat each end of the machine,each rotating in a horizontal plane, an endless member running over saidrotatable members, said endless mem ber beingprovided with means formoving a series of cans along and adjacent the peripheral edge of theholder, and means for supplying brine to said cans as they move. inaseini-circular path around the rotatable member at the end of themachine. 7

12. A filling machine comprising an elongated fruit holder having aperipheral edge, the space above said edge being unobstructed so thatthe fruit will be accessible to an operator adjacent the machine, sothat the operator can remove the fruit from the holder adjacent theperipheral edge thereof, a pair of rotatable members, one at each end ofthe machine, each rotating in a horizontal plane,- an endless memberrunning over said rotatable members, said endless member being providedwith means for moving a series of cans along andadjacent the peripheraledge the holder, mouthpieces secured to said endlessmember, and meansfor supplying brine to said cans through the mouthpieces as they move ina semi-circular path around the rotatable member at the end of themachine. I

13. A filling machine comprising an elongated fruit holder, unitarymeans for each can movable around said fruit holder, and a chain andsprocket for moving said means, said unitary means comprising a cansweep for directing the movement of each can around the fruit holder,and a funnel member for directing the fruit into each can.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names. A \VILLIAM A.BJORKLUND. AUGUST I'IOLMQUIST.

